Education Campaign Group Condemns Over 500% Increment in Hostel Fees at OAU, Calls for Immediate Reversal

The Save Public Education Campaign (SPEC) strongly opposes the reported over 500% hike in postgraduate hostel accommodation fees at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), demanding an urgent reversal. SPEC, an education advocacy group, also rejects the over 300% increase in undergraduate hostel fees, emphasizing the non-negotiable importance of free, functional, and quality education at all levels.

In a statement issued by SPEC's Organising Secretary, Damilola Owot, the campaign condemns the university's decision and calls on the management to abandon the proposed fee increment immediately. The circular, released by the Vice Dean of the Division of Students Affairs on November 9, 2023, revealed new accommodation fee structures for postgraduate students, increasing the fees from N8,000 to N50,000 for 3-bedded and from N12,500 to N80,000 for single-bedded, representing a 525% and 540% hike, respectively.

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Owot highlights that this fee surge follows recent increments in school fees for postgraduate students. The statement also recalls the resistance from undergraduate students in October against hikes in school and accommodation fees. SPEC considers these increases during challenging economic times, coupled with the recent spike in petrol prices, as burdensome to ordinary Nigerians.

The campaign questions the priorities of the government, pointing out substantial allocations for non-educational purposes while neglecting the deteriorating state of the education sector. SPEC urges the OAU authorities to retract the fee hike and maintain affordable accommodation for students. The statement concludes by calling on postgraduate students to organize congresses, initiate lecture boycotts, and engage in mass protests to voice their demand for an immediate and unconditional reversal of the new policies.